Secrets of the Stars
by Nariel Helyanwe
Summary: Seldom are things always as they seem. Ideas and spin-offs from the Stars in the Silence timeline. Part 3: Mother's Day Special. Her mind is silent for once. It hasn't been for several months now, and it's only now that Walburga has the slightest inkling of regret for her actions.
1. The Lady Black

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Harry Potter**_ **. This work is merely for leisure and not for any profit whatsoever.**

 **Summary:** Seldom are things always as they seem. Ideas and spin-offs from the Stars in the Silence timeline. Part 1: Seven is a powerful number. It just so happens that Walburga has seven memories that are unforgettable.

 **A/N: If you haven't read SITS yet, you may want to check it out. But you don't need to know that story for this chapter, since it's Walburga-centric and still canon compliant, except for the last bit where there's a mention of Aquila.**

* * *

 ** _Secrets of the Stars_**

 _The Lady Black_

 _._

Walburga's life has been memorable. Being a witch and a daughter of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black practically ensured that it was so.

Still, there have been memories that stood out amongst the rest. Memories that refuse to be forgotten, that refuse to fade away. Seven of them, in fact.

.

The first of which is when she is five. It is summer time; and her parents have invited her extended family for dinner. The little girl is excited; she got to dress in a pretty robe of purples and silver and she'd be meeting her extended family for the first time.

Walburga had never met anyone other than Mother, Father and her siblings Marius and Dorea. When she asked why, Mother became sad and told her that 'it wasn't time; she wasn't ready for it.' Walburga didn't understand why, so she asked Father. When she did, Father became sad, and angry too (though he was never angry at _her_ , Father explained that he was angry at someone else. "Never you, Walburga," Father murmured the first time she asked. The memory's hazy, but Walburga remembered the feeling of fear being replaced by warmth.)

There was another emotion in their eyes as well, one that Walburga couldn't identify. But her parents were sad when she asked that, so she never asks again, deciding that she has 'Rius and 'Rea. Even if they treat her a bit differently than they did each other, they were always nice to her.

Now though, she'd finally get to meet other Blacks! Mother had said that she has two cousins around her age, and that there were others who were about ten years older than her. Mother told her to get along with them; that she'd be spending much more time with them after the party. Walburga had been so excited at the news; she almost missed the unshed tears in Mother's eyes.

She tentatively asks why Mother was crying. Mother has never cried before. Mother was much too pretty to cry, Walburga says as she hugs Mother.

Mother gives a few sniffles and pats her head. "Walburga, dearest, you're growing up. A-and," her voice hitches slightly, "You'll learn that the world isn't nice, it isn't kind. But you are a Black, so I know you'll become a fantastic, powerful witch no matter what comes your way. Promise me, sweetheart, that you won't forget that; that you'll always be proud to be a Black."

Conflicted and slightly terrified (Mother was _crying_. _Mother_ was crying.), Walburga gives a hasty nod. Of course she would always be proud to be a Black! Why wouldn't she?

That had been some days earlier.

Now, she stands with Mother and Father in the drawing room, along with two other… cousins she supposed? Walburga wasn't told of their relation but she is no less eager to meet them. They were undoubtedly family; she sees the same eyes on the man's face she saw in the mirror, and the woman's face was similar to hers as well.

"Walburga," Father halted, a storm of emotions flashes through his face before it is evened out forcefully, "They are Pollux and Irma Black."

Walburga blinks in curiosity. 'Irma' is her middle name; that meant that these two had to be close to their branch. She beams, opening her mouth to greet them, but stops when she realises that Father hasn't told her how to address them. She gives him a curious look.

Father remained quiet; an indifferent mask in place, but Walburga could see that his arms are trembling. She looks to Mother, worried.

Mother gives her a strained smile, but it seems that her voice is lost, because she is only mouthing silent words.

What was going on?! Walburga panics. She looks to the other two adults in the room, dark eyes pleading them for help.

They remain silent, trading glances at each other.

Finally, it is Pollux that speaks up. "Walburga. I- There's no delicate way to say this; we're your parents."

"No you're not," Walburga replies unthinkingly. She freezes, expecting to be chastised by Mother, but nothing happens. She glances confusedly at her.

Hesitating slightly, Walburga continues, "My parents are Cygnus and Violetta Black. They raised me."

Parents were the ones that took care of a child, the ones that taught them new things, the ones that tucked them into bed and woke them the next morning. Mother and Father did that. They were Walburga's parents.

Right?

"Mother? Father? Why aren't you saying anything?" Walburga tugs at their robes. Her voice begins to tremble when they remain unresponsive, "T-Tell them they're wrong; they aren't my parents-"

"Walburga. Hush, child." Father cuts in and his voice, for some reason Walburga can't – won't – understand, is hoarse.

She falls silent, and then walks towards him when he beckons her.

Pointing to the Black Family Tapestry, he motions towards his own image and Walburga's eyes follow the branches surrounding it, one branch joining to an image of Mother which splits to-

Walburga stops. Surely, she must have seen wrongly.

Her eyes frantically rake over the names and images but they don't change.

Pollux. Cassiopeia. Marius. Dorea.

Where was hers?! Where-

Her breath catches in her throat and she makes a sound of denial.

Extending from Pollux's branch, which was entwined with Irma's, is her image with her name emblazoned below it.

Walburga Irma Black. Daughter of Pollux and Irma Black. Granddaughter of Cygnus and Violetta Black.

Tears sprung to her eyes unbidden and Mo- no, Grandmother- reaches towards her.

Walburga flinches back.

Why… Why had everyone lied to her?

All is silent, save for Walburga's quiet sniffles.

Finally, it was Pollux that breaks the silence, "Come Walburga. We… We'll explain."

Numbly, she follows.

The reveal and the following explanation sear themselves into her memory.

.

The second one is when she was seven.

She's spending time with Dorea, helping her sis- _aunt – Aunt Dorea_ – pack her trunk for her second year at Hogwarts. It's late when Hermes, Dorea's Eagle Owl, swoops through an open window and lands on his perch. He gives an imperious hoot and sticks out his leg. Glancing at it, Walburga starts slightly when she recognises the slightly messy scrawl.

It was from Marius.

"Kreacher!" Walburga calls out.

The House Elf pops into the room immediately. "Young Mistress summoned Kreacher?"

She eyes the Elf before barking out an order, "Inform us if either Fath-Grandfather or Grandmother plans to enter this room. That is all. Leave."

Kreacher gives a low bow and pops out of the room.

Walburga shuts the door and turns to her sis-aunt.

"'Rea? How is he?"

She hasn't seen Marius for almost three years, ever since he was disowned when he didn't receive his Hogwarts Letter. Walburga feels a chill go down her spine at the thought. A Squib. Marius was a Squib. A blight on the family, filth that had no place in their home, in their world. At least, that was what Great-Uncle Sirius had sneered. Fa-Grandfather had agreed, but he'd look absolutely shattered when he blasted Marius off the Tapestry.

But he was still 'Rius. The goofy, easy-going boy who let Walburga dress him up in dresses and ribbons. Who had tucked her into bed and read her stories when Mo- _Grandmother_ was out or busy. The one that held her and lent her his shoulder to cry on when she found out that her whole life had been just a charade.

She still cares for him, even if she knows she shouldn't. Just like Dorea.

At the sound of her question, Dorea turns and Walburga is startled to see tears in her eyes.

"Dorea, what happened?! Is 'Rius-"

"He's fine, currently," Dorea cut in, "It's just- He- How do I-" She flounders for a bit before her shoulders sags and she holds out the letter. "Here," Dorea said, resigned, as her free had snatches up a handkerchief to dab away her tears, "Just, remember that he's okay now."

With no small amount of trepidation, Walburga takes it and scans through it.

 _Dearest sister,_

 _How've you been? I hope this letter finds you well. Have you packed for Hogwarts yet? Are Father, Mother, Pollux and Cassiopeia well? And little Walburga; I hope both she and you aren't taking my disownment too badly. I've said many times; I'm fine. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself; I don't need the House of Black anyways._

 _But still, thank you 'Rea for sending me that sack of galleons. I've been spending it frugally; I've quite a bit saved up- I was thinking of putting it in a Muggle bank; that way I won't have to worry about getting mugged and losing all my money. I might even get some money from it; I've been borrowing newspapers from my workplace- Oh! I almost forgot! I'm working now, so you don't need to fret over whether I've been able to eat. The Muggles have this place called a 'Cafeteria'- it's kind of like the Great Hall? Only, its open to workers only and the food's free and rather decent. I'm a mail boy, I ride this thing called a 'bicycle' and I deliver newspapers to the Muggles' homes. Uncle and Father would absolutely pissed - a scion of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black reduced to a the Muggle form of a post owl? Why I'd love to be a fly on the wall if they ever find out._

 _I think you'd like riding a bike (that's short for bicycles). It's kind of like riding a broom? But there's no flying involved and you need to be able to keep your balance yourself (no Charms for that, unfortunately)._

 _I seem to have become a little side tracked. Apologies._

 _Anyways, I've noticed that the interest rates have started to rise again. Unsurprising; the banks are probably desperately trying to keep themselves afloat, what with the Muggle economy going to hell and back now. At least we're not in America. I heard that things are absolutely abysmal there since their stock exchange crashed. (I can hear you snickering Walburga; I did pay attention when Mother explained banking to us so hush.)_

 _What else can I say? Ah, yes. I've found out what a Muggle Hospital looks like. And before you freak out; I am_ _ **fine**_ _. Some idiot tried to mug me (hence the reason for opening muggle bank account) with a knife. Ha! Worst mistake ever, coming at a Black with a knife. I managed to disarm him and knock him out, but he managed to knock me in the side. It was a lucky shot and nothing severe._

 _But I probably scared a poor Muggle woman quite terribly. She saw the whole thing and dragged me to the hospital-_

Walburga stops.

Marius had been attacked. He'd been hurt by a Muggle. A filthy _Muggle_ had made her bro-un- _her 'Rius_ _ **bleed**_.

Her breath comes out in gasps. If he had magic, it wouldn't have happened. He wouldn't have had to leave. He'd be safe-

"Walburga?! Walburga, answer me! What's wrong! Wha- KREACHER! GET MOTHER AND FATHER NOW!"

Walburga gasps frantically. 'Rius had been _hurt_. Because he didn't have the House's protection, because he didn't have magic.

She… she needs the House to protect her.

She needs her magic. And she needs it to be _strong_.

"Walburga! Wal- breathe child! Calm yourself!"

"Cygnus, it's not working! Cygnus – move! Kreacher, a Calming Draught now! _Stupefy!_ "

.

The next one is several years later, in her fifth year at Hogwarts. It is Christmas break and she'd been camping out in the Library, pouring over various potions texts for her OWLs extra credit assignment.

In the past four years at Hogwarts, she's built up a formidable reputation. She's Walburga Black, a proud Slytherin who's always tied for first place in Potions, Defence and later Arithmancy. Her reputation of _hex first, interrogate later_ precedes her so much so that the younger years, and even some of her own year mates, give her a wide berth every time she strides down the hallways. It's also been able to quell the jeers of her Slytherin peers, and later that of the Gryffindors and a few Ravenclaws when they found out about her _situation_ , into whispers and well-hidden sneers.

Walburga could almost spend her days at Hogwarts in peace now. Almost, but not quite. Because the whispers still haunt her, whispers of being a mistake, of being a shame of the House, of being a bastard-daughter.

A sneer forms on her lips. Those that had been particularly vocal found themselves at the wrong end of her wand, and… _opted_ to spend the night in the Hospital Wing. Despite them being older than her, their knowledge was pitiful at best and downright insulting at worst. Honestly, picking a fight with a Black and not even knowing a standard counter-jinx? Pathetic.

Her eleven year old self had known almost a dozen jinxes and hexes by then. _And_ the necessary counters for them. And the basics of the Shield Charm.

She's powerful, and she knows that. She's easily one of the top duellist in their level, only bested by that halfblood Riddle. Even then Riddle only beats her sometimes, their duels, infrequent, but a sight to behold, often end in draws with both of them glaring down each other.

That being said, whenever she's busy, she's never disturbed. Her reputation ensures that. Not even by Riddle.

So when her cousin clears his throat and calls out her name with a faint note of hesitance in his voice, Walburga fights down the urge to hex him seven ways to Sunday and pins him with a cool glare.

"Orion. Is there a reason you're disturbing me?"

To the First Year's credit, he merely gulps and clutches a stack of parchment to his chest. "Cousin Walburga, I was wondering if you could assist me with my potions homework? I-"

"Why." Walburga cuts in flatly. Honestly the boy has his own sister he could ask; Lucretia is the same age as Walburga and had a far better opinion of wasting her time teaching brats something as basic as a Boil-Cure Potion.

Orion deflates slightly and mumbles, "Lucretia is out on a _date_ with Ignatius…"

Ignatius? Ah, the second son of the House of Prewett. Walburga gave a mental shrug. The Ravenclaw was their current Head Boy so she supposes Lucretia had decent enough tastes.

Walburga has half the mind to order Orion to _leave_ when she stops and really _looks_ at him.

What she sees is… nostalgic enough to make her pause.

Orion looks like she did before, back when she hadn't entered Hogwarts yet, when she hadn't developed the confidence and I-am-better-than-you-and-I-know-it attitude that she currently has. He looks like what Walburga did before- a child that had a reputation that wasn't his. Only, hers had been the result of her parents' stupidity while his was crafted by Lucretia and their parents.

Marius and Dorea had helped her shake off that reputation. Dorea in particular; having been close to an enraged nesting dragon whenever she caught anyone bullying Walburga because of her situation. It had given Walburga the necessary time and help to develop her own capabilities till the point that she could hold her own and _win_.

Walburga sighs. She knows when she's lost. Dorea would have helped Orion. So would Marius.

"What do you have a problem with?"

She sighs again at Orion's stunned face. She was going to regret this. She just knows it.

(Walburga doesn't, not that she ever admits it. Orion is… decent company once he got over his fear of her. Well, most of his fear.)

.

The fourth one happens in her seventh year.

It starts off dramatically, with her stumbling on Orion on the losing end of a duel between him and four Gryffindors.

He's a Third Year. The Gryffindors are Seventh Years.

Orion's panting, a brilliant bruise is plastered on his face and his wand arm is shaking terribly. The Gryffindors are surrounding him. Jeering at him. Calling him a pathetic wizard and _toying with him_.

Walburga sees red.

She steps in.

And she _destroys them_.

She drags a stunned Orion away from a pile of twitching limbs and ignores the moans with practiced ease. Just before they round the corner, she turns back and fires a silent _Impedementa_ at them. Let those idiots float for a while; the eventual drop may just knock some sense into them.

Orion remains silent as she drags him to an abandoned classroom to check on him. He only protests slightly when she forces to him to sit, but a glare from her silences him and she performs a diagnostic spell on him.

Walburga can feel her blood roaring as diagnostic spell reveals the extent of his injuries.

"Six bruises. A fractured shoulder. Bruised ribs _and organs_. Magical exhaustion." With each injury she snaps out, Orion wilts even further and Walburga has to control herself not to go over and slap some sense into the _idiot_. "Just _what_ were you thinking? They are Seventh Years. You are a Third Year with, at best, acceptable Defence abilities."

She's pissed. Because really, _what was The Idiot thinking?!_ He couldn't even land a hit on her when they duel. If he couldn't even do that when she's going easy in a _practice duel_ , how in Salazar's name did he expect to win against four wizards who, while nowhere near Walburga's own level, had four years of knowledge and practice on him and were more than willing to _hurt_ him?

"Well?" She snaps, even as she fires a numbing spell on The Idiot to lessen the pain (Merlin knew The Idiot made stupid enough decisions when he was thinking clearly, she did not need to know what went on in his head when he was in pain.), "I'm waiting."

He shifts guiltily, "They were insulting you."

Walburga blinks. What? Why would he get worked up over that?

She must have said that out loud, because the next thing she knows, she's pinned by a particularly intense look that looks really out of place on The Idiot's face.

"They said that no decent wizard, not even a _mudblood_ , would ever want to associate with- with a bastard-daughter after you graduated from Hogwarts. That you'd spent the rest of your life as sad, shallow, pathetic excuse of a witch and die decrepit fossil-"

The Idiot breaks off; face flushed and angry and Walburga can honestly say she still has no idea why he'd get upset over that. It's not like it was anything she hadn't heard before.

She must have been really surprised because The Idiot reads her face like an open book, answering the question she never asks.

"They also said no one would ever willingly marry you."

Walburga feels a brief, intense flare of the legendary Black Temper before she clamps it down mercilessly.

 _There is emotion, and within it, calmness. There is a storm, and within it, stillness. There is ferocity, and within it, control._

She breathes in deeply, letting her Occlumency training kick in and soothe the raging inferno until it becomes a pile of simmering, _controlled_ embers.

"So? If I am to remain unmarried, I am still better than those fools could ever hope to become." She says it with conviction, and she almost believes it. Let them talk. She didn't need to marry.

The Idiot clearly doesn't believe her, judging by the flat look that is sent her way.

He grumbles something and Walburga raises a delicate eyebrow.

"I'd marry you." The Idiot mumbles out eventually and Walburga nearly trips over herself.

She throws a particularly strong _Silencio_ and proceeds to drag The Idiot to the Hospital Wing, deliberately _not acknowledging_ the warm feeling that's _not_ fluttering in her chest.

.

The fifth time is when she's twenty.

Uncle Arcturus had asked her to tutor The Idiot in Defence for his NEWTs after he barely scraped an E for his OWLs. Walburga agreed with minimal grumbling. It wasn't as if she hadn't already been doing that.

The Idiot had better appreciate her help though; she's in the middle of her Potions Mastery and almost done with her Defence Mastery. Actually, The Idiot had better blast the exam records, or she'd be pissed.

She told him that on their first 'lesson'. Suffice to say, The Idiot had been sufficiently motivated.

That had been some months ago.

Now, with Uncle Arcturus pulling several strings that allowed her to return to Hogwarts to tutor The Idiot every weekend, The Idiot's Defence has all but skyrocketed.

He even holds her old position of best duelist. She almost gave him a proud smile when he told her that. Almost.

Instead she nods and fires a silent Blasting Curse at him. Within minutes, they've all but thrown themselves into their duel.

Spells carve deep grooves in the castle walls, the furniture is mostly all shattered halfway through the duel and both participants have near hysterical grins on their faces as various jets of light, if not stopped by their shields, slip pass their persons by mere inches.

It ends with The Idiot hitting her with a combined Water and Lightning Charm that shocks her into stumbling slightly. Before she can catch herself properly, she's hit by a Stunner and blacks out.

When she awakes, it's to The Idiot panicking over her.

She slaps him. And then she congratulates him for his first win.

Orion (because Walburga decides that he can't be too much of an idiot if he managed to beat her. What would that say about her?) grins and looks like he's about to hug her. Thankfully – for him – he doesn't. Instead, he goes to a corner and starts fixing up the furniture they destroyed.

Walburga had the passing thought that Orion had become rather handsome in the past few years, and that he has a rather beautiful smile.

She shuts down that string of thought. She did not think that Orion, the bloody wimp whose ass she's been kicking for the past five years, was attractive in any sense at all.

He did have a nice ass though.

Walburga nearly shrieks. No. Just no. She did not just think that.

.

The sixth one occurs when she's twenty six.

She's still unmarried and is completely alright with that. She's not bothered that her youngest brother Cygnus is already married and expecting his first child. She's not bothered by the guilty looks her parents and grandparents send her when they think she'd not paying attention. She's not bothered by the barbs other ladies throw at her every time she is invited to socialize with them.

She's a Potion and Defence Mistress. She holds the record for the highest female NEWTs record in the century. She's a regular consultant in the Arithmancy Society across all of Europe. She's accomplished. She's content.

So when she opens the door to find Orion kneeling on a knee presenting her with a ring with the largest diamond she's ever seen surrounded by finely crafted emeralds, she stares. When he asks her to marry him, on her own front lawn for Merlin's sake (and she can see the tell-tale signs that he's bloody terrified doing it), she pointedly tells him that he's an idiot, because 'Merlin, have you no tact? At least take me out for a date first, Idiot.'

She then slams the door in his face and leans on it, trying to control the grin that's threatening to split her face in half and the tears forming in her eyes.

Half a minute later, there's a knock on her door and when she opens it, the ring is gone and Orion is standing with a sheepish smile on his face.

He asks her out for a date. She agrees. They leave.

When they come back, giggling and blushing like a pair of teenage lovebirds, their fathers announce that the two of them are betrothed to each other.

And the second time Orion proposes to her that day, she accepts. She even lets him steal a kiss.

.

The last memory that she'd never forget, well, it was more of two similar ones.

The first time she held her children.

"Sleep child," she coos at the bundle in her arms. Memories of Sirius, Aquila and Regulus overlap, and she feels her heart swell each time she reminiscent about them.

In her mind, her children sleep, still unburdened by life, by the expectations, the judgements of others. Walburga wishes that she could keep them safe and sheltered from them. That they would never have to face what she did.

And Walburga decides then that they will. They'd learn anything and everything that could protect them. They'd have every opportunity they'd want – they'd need – to master their magic. That way, they'd be able to stay safe in a world that would gladly extinguish any stars that shone brightly. That way, they'd always have the House to protect them.

Walburga is an arrogant, narcissistic, scornful elitist. She isn't delusional to deny parts of her character, especially the parts that she wore proudly, and as a shield for her heart. Because at her core, she's still that little girl who found out that life was filled with lies, with pain. But it was also filled with hope and love.

That little girl was a mother now.

She'd be the mother her own 'mothers' weren't. Walburga Black née Black was a Black by birth and marriage. She's proud, powerful and capable. She's the Lady of the House of Black. And she's going to do anything and everything to prepare her babies for the world they'd inherit. And damn anyone that stood in her way.

.

* * *

 **A/N: And we have an insight into Walburga. It's actually sort of a response to a review by** _ **ofguttersandstars**_ **and** _ **KioshiUshima**_ **whose interpretations of SITS!Walburga are quite contrasting so I thought Walburga's character merited its own arc as an explanation. Plus, I wanted to give Orion some more screen time. So we get to see their interactions from before they were Mr and Mrs Black, and fluff. Yay for fluff. And yes, Walburga called Orion 'The Idiot' the whole time between memory four and five (that's about three years). Orion was not happy.**

 **(Also, anyone want to guess who Orion was based off? He's not a HP character - that's the only clue you're getting.)**

 **And back to Walburga and her actions in SITS: Walburga's a bitch. She's a snob, a full supporter of pureblood supremacy and she's also a mother. Are there bad mothers? Absolutely. Just as much as there are mothers who try to do their best for their kid and muck up along the way, which is what's happening to Walburga now in SITS. She's trying. Is she doing a good job? No, not really; but that's because she's focusing on preparing them not to be screwed over by life in general, so much so that mothering them takes a backseat in many things.**

 **She loves her kids. She just knows that love isn't all that they need.**

 **Okays, explanation over; I'm gonna go into a corner and cry now. Because feeeeeels.**

 **EDIT 21/01/16: So I've got a couple of reviewers saying that they didn't quite get what was going on with Walburga and her parents and grandparents so here's an explanation:** **Pollux and Irma, her father and mother respectively, had her when Pollux was thirteen. So for the first five years, Walburga was raised by her grandparents, thinking that they were her parents and that Marius and Dorea were her siblings instead of her uncle and aunt respectively. During this time, Pollux, Irma and Cassandra (although she isn't mentioned) are in Hogwarts and thus Walburga doesn't see them at all, even during the holidays, as she's been purposefully kept away from them until they've graduated and are able to take care of Walburga. So she only meets her parents when she's five and realises that her parents are actually her grandparents and that she's basically a scandal.**

 **Sorry if I didn't explain that clearly in the story, my bad.**


	2. Take Me To Wonderland

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Harry Potter**_ **. This work is merely for leisure and not for any profit whatsoever.**

 **Summary:** Seldom are things always as they seem. Ideas and spin-offs from the Stars in the Silence timeline. Part 2: Regulus muses over his favourite story. For some reason, Aquila is very amused when he says that it's Alice in Wonderland, and his reasoning for it. And then he makes the mistake of mentioning some Muggle places he'd like to visit.

* * *

 ** _Secrets of the Stars_**

 _Take Me To Wonderland_

.

"Why do you like that story so much?"

Regulus blinks, and he throws a curious look at Barty. "Which one?"

His companion motions towards where his siblings are sitting, Aquila reclining gracefully as she read another tome on runes, while Sirius lounges with his head on her thigh. Regulus sometimes wondered exactly how much Aquila knew about the subject, considering he rarely sees her without a tome or her notebook out of reach of her person. Regulus' attention drifts back to Barty, and he caught the tail end of his – friend? Companion? Ally? Study mate? – guest's elaboration, "-the puppets; about the Muggle who falls into that odd magical place."

Regulus blinks, "Oh? You mean _Alice in Wonderland_?"

At Barty's nod, Regulus tilts his head back and stares at the elegantly carved designs on the ceiling. Why did he like it?

"It's an interesting idea don't you think? Falling into a world where things just don't make sense, when you've lived your whole life in a-" What was that word? "-structured manner. And then you find out that, not only is everything illogical, you also could get hurt over such small things because the people there just don't make sense either?" Regulus glances at Barty, who's sporting a thoughtful look.

He misses the look Aquila sends him, continuing, "I think that Alice is a nice character, you know? She learns from her mistakes, and finds ways to solve problems that she'd never met before."

Maybe that was how the mudbloods felt as well? Regulus frowns slightly. Muggleborns, Aquila said to call them Muggleborns. It was beneath elites like them to stoop to _name-calling_ , according to his sister. Regulus thought that it made sense, his breeding and background was superior, everybody knew that. Even Sirius had agreed. He'd also added to the discussion, saying that always reminding or bragging about their blood to others would not show class. In his own words, _it was trashy_.

Although, the little boy keeps those thoughts to himself. Aquila may have been right, and he and Sirius may have agreed with her, but their mother most likely wouldn't. Nor would the other purebloods. Light grey eyes flicker towards the boy beside him. Regulus takes in the accepting but doubtful gaze Barty has on his face and exhales softly. No, he doesn't think Barty would understand, even if Aquila was the one explaining it to him.

Because even though Barty is extremely taken with Regulus' sister (and he should be, considering Aquila is absolutely fantastic and _the_ nicest sibling ever. Regulus hopes that Sirius never finds out about this, he'd whine about betrayals for _ages._ It's not that he prefers one over the other, but Sirius loves competition, even jokingly.) he hadn't been exposed to Aquila chiding him for years not to say such terms, he hadn't heard the lectures Aquila gave to him and Sirius about how Muggles were not inferior just because of their lack of magic, nor had he seen Aquila argue with their parents over the propriety of addressing mudbloods as such, till the extent that Father had to step in to prevent Mother from drawing her wand.

Regulus shoves that thought out of his head, and it goes into the nice little box labelled 'Aquila Shenanigans', along with his questions on how his five-year-old sister had been able to lecture his three-year-old self about Muggle mechanics and history. He has another box labelled 'Sirius Shenanigans', which comprise mainly of the small pranks and magical outbursts his brother has had over the years. It has much more content in it than Aquila's but somehow, Regulus feels that when he eventually learns Occlumency, sometime in his teenage years, according to Mother, it'll still be much easier to sort out than Aquila's.

Although, Regulus does think that when he grows up, he'd get his own 'motorcycle'. From what he remembers of Aquila's lectures, he feels that he'd like that. He knows Sirius will, considering he had been all but bouncing when Aquila pointed one of them out as it raced past their street.

That thought gets shoved to the back of his mind as well; he doubts that he ought to be able to remember things from his toddler years, but more amazing things have happened before. Most of them centred on Aquila.

 _("Your sister could do this when she was three! Accidental magic is not the only sign of a proper pureblood!")_

Regulus pushes that out of his head too. It's not his fault that he's not Aquila, and it's certainly not Aquila's fault that she shines.

"I guess another reason is because my siblings put in a lot of effort to perform that story for my birthday," Regulus says as the silence stretches a bit too long, hoping that his words don't sound bitter. Because he really does love it that his siblings care for him, even if Mother is adamant about getting him on par with them, with _Aquila_. He knows, somehow, that it may drive a wedge between them, because as much as Mother likes to compare him and Aquila, she loves comparing Sirius to the two of them, and if there is one thing all Blacks have in common, it's that they all hate being considered inferior. The only difference is how well they can hide their emotions.

There is no way Regulus would ever let that happen. Whatever unrest that was happening (yes, Regulus has noticed how their parents have been acting and the sudden interest Aquila had in _the Daily Prophet_ ; it was just a matter of putting two and two together. He's pretty sure Sirius has caught on as well.), he wasn't going to let that drive him and his siblings apart. His siblings mean the world to him; they were the ones that cared for him voluntarily (as much as he likes Kreacher, the old Elf was duty-bound to take care of him; his siblings weren't), the ones that comforted him when he had night terrors, the ones that sat down with him to tutor him for hours, even after their own grilling lessons. Not his parents; not Father who tries, but is always busy, not Mother who wants to, but has and always will put the House first.

A hand lands softly on his head and Regulus starts slightly. "We're touched, Regulus," Sirius grins, light grey eyes, so similar to Regulus' own, warm and Aquila nods regally, a hint of a smile on her lips. Regulus is grateful that he wasn't addressed as Reggie. That was… That was something special between them. Something he hadn't wanted to be shared with others.

(Sirius and Aquila felt that way too, not that Regulus knew about that.)

"Do you need help with that Regulus?" Aquila asks. There's an odd look in her eyes, like she found something incredibly funny but knows that others won't get it, and Regulus files that away in the little box too. Someday, he'll figure them all out, but for now he nods and gestures at the passage he was supposed to translate. Next to him, Barty rattles off his own questions as well.

The twins settle themselves opposite him and Barty, and Sirius prattles on about the passage, translating phrases from Latin to English, while Aquila's fingers ghost over Barty's textbook, storm-grey eyes flickering through lines of theory before she quietly explains the concept to him. Only, halfway through, Sirius injects himself into their conversation and Aquila easily switches from explaining the difference between the properties of a crushed unicorn horn and a powdered one to picking up where Sirius had stopped in his translation.

Regulus watches his siblings toggle between explanations without pause or stumble, something only experience and a deep understanding can bring about, and he grins to himself. The action doesn't go unnoticed by his siblings, but Regulus only gets identical raised brows as a response; the twins don't even halt in their respective explanations.

The surge of affection he feels for Aquila and Sirius chases away the lingering bitterness, and he tackles his homework with far more cheer than he did before.

.

Another hour passes before their parents conclude their business and the Crouches are whisked away in a torrent of green flames.

Mother takes a look at his work and sniffs in her it-is-acceptable-but-not-enough-for-praise way and stalks off. If Father had been any less a pureblood Lord, he probably would have rolled his eyes at Mother's behaviour. As it were, Father only gives him a nod, though his eyes are warm, before he leaves. It's likely that he's gone to prepare for his lessons with his apprentice. Regulus clamps down on the unpleasant feeling rising in his chest. There's no reason to feel this way, he reasons. Mother has always expected better, and it is only logical that Father would spend time with his apprentice.

(He resolutely does not think about the many instances Mother has gifted Aquila with praise, even if Mother expects far more from Aquila than from he and Sirius combined, nor does he dwell on the times where Father spends hours working with Aquila on her scriptures.)

Perhaps he isn't as good at hiding his disappointment as he thinks he is because the moment the door closes, his siblings are there showering him with praises (Sirius) and encouragement (Aquila). Regulus can't help but beam at them. His siblings are the best.

.

Evening found the Black Trio lounging in the Library.

Regulus' attention is briefly caught by his siblings, who are quietly debating over the effectiveness of wandless casting, before it returns to the book in front of him. Lying on his stomach with his elbows propping up his head, the youngest Black briefly wonders what it would be like to visit the places mentioned in the book. There's a glum look on his face because he's reading a muggle book and Regulus knows that his chances of ever seeing those places are next to zero.

"What's gotten you so down Reggie?"

"And don't say it's nothing, you've got that whole depressed kitten aura around you."

Sometimes, Regulus wonders just how observant the twins are. Because he's pretty sure his sibling were having a rather intense debate, and with how focused both of them were, it's downright baffling how easily they can pick up on such small ques.

"According to this," he syas as he flips to the page with the muggle map printed on it and pushes the book forward to let his siblings have a better look, "there are all kinds of places that muggles visit, especially if they're foreigners."

Regulus watches as his Aquila and Sirius peer over the map intently, already knowing what exactly they're looking at. The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, St Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben…

"I'd like to visit them sometime. Only, I doubt Mother would ever let us do so." He doesn't bother masking his disappointment. There's hardly any point in doing so anyways; his siblings would've picked up on it easily.

The twins share a look, and suddenly there's a glint in both their eyes and they both sport smirks that just _promise_ trouble. Regulus doesn't know what he just prompted, and he's very hesitant to find out. The last time either had such a look on their face, Aquila disappeared for hours doing Merlin-knows-what, while Sirius had somehow managed to procure enough catnip to summon nearly ever cat (magical and non-magical) in Diagon Alley and dump it on Bellatrix. Aquila had been involved somehow; the twins' face had been glowing as their cousin screeched unholy murder down the Alley.

Hilarious. But it got them in _so much trouble_. (Of course Mother found out. _Regulus_ had, and the twins hadn't really bothered with covering up that fact.)

As such, Regulus braces himself when he asks, "What?"

"What if we just go?"

" _What?!_ " There was no way Sirius had just suggested what he did.

"Not now of course, but someday. Just the three of us."

"What." Regulus stares. He's pretty sure he's a sight to see, jaw dropped to the ground and absolutely gobsmacked. Because he can _already see how much can go wrong._ Aquila and Sirius couldn't be serious!

"Well, _I_ am Sirius. But since we're twins and all, I guess we could both be Sirius. Two halves of the same whole and all that you know."

"As the smarter half of Sirius, I suggest we have our tour on Halloween. Father and Mother are going out for a Ball that night, and they're not bringing us. They won't be back until the following day the earliest. Plus, no one's going to look twice at a couple of kids out Trick-or-Treating, especially if there'll be a ton of them doing the same."

They were serious.

Regulus puts his head in his hands and groans. _Merlin help us. What have I done?_

Still, he can't quite fight the smile tugging at his lips.

.

Regulus is almost certain that there is a record for the highest number of anxiety attacks a six year old can have. He's equally sure he'd just broke them, considering what an utterly nerve-wracking three months it had been.

It started off when Aquila ordered several meters of fabric from Twilfitt and Tatting's _right in front of Mother_.

Regulus was pretty sure his heart had stopped then. Underneath the panic that was surging through him, there was a small bubble of relief that Mother's attention had been on Aquila and thus hadn't seen him stiffen. As it were, Mother only raised an eyebrow in question.

Aquila, in perfect nonchalance, had replied, "I want to try embroidering runes onto fabric. I was thinking of testing whether the material and colour would affect the efficiency of a scripture."

Miraculously, Mother had bought that. Somehow. Regulus is still unsure how in Merlin's name that had worked.

Then, there had been several instances when Kreacher had walked in on them either making their Halloween costume (Aquila) or pouring over Muggle maps as they planned their route (Sirius and Regulus). It was only due to Regulus begging the old Elf not to mention this to their parents that they hadn't been found out.

And then, there had been the time when their cousins had visited and Bellatrix had summoned the half-finished coat Aquila was working on, fully intent on informing their mother that they were up to some mischief. Aquila had chased after the teen, out of the room and tackled her in the hallway. There was a scuffle, hair pulling and screeching and Regulus wasn't sure if he had been more terrified of Bellatrix drawing her wand or their mother hearing the noise and coming to investigate. It ended with Aquila slamming a knee into Bellatrix's stomach and ripping the coat away, snarling under her breath, while Bellatrix screeched bloody murder and threats before fleeing downstairs.

Regulus had been certain that their cousin was going to tattle on them, and both he and Sirius had been frantic. Aquila, on the other hand, had merely hissed something under her breath (Regulus had been too far away to hear what) and had stalked back into their room with a curt, "I've got it handled."

Regulus spent the next hour fretting, terror coursing through his veins as Aquila hunched over the coat, embroidering furiously, occasionally hissing words quietly. Sirius, for all he trusted and believed in Aquila's abilities, only looked slightly better. Bellatrix wouldn't interfere with the meeting their parents were having – she wasn't suicidal – but the moment it ended… Mother would rain fire and brimstone on them for fighting like _Muggles_ if not for their little project.

So, when their mother burst into their room, magic erratic and agitated, Regulus was not ashamed to say that he had squeaked in fright. So had Sirius. It was all Regulus to do to not faint in sheer terror when their mother interrogated them on their project. As it were, Aquila merely rose from her hunched position and handed the coat to their mother, pointing at the sleeve.

Which had the Light Scripture embroidered on it. Mother had raised an eyebrow and muttered the incantation, and even Regulus had seen the almost pleasant surprise that had flickered across her face when a dim light shone.

Mother had returned the coat and left them without a word. As the door clicked shut, Regulus leaned against Sirius for support, muttering praises. Sirius, staring at the door in shock, looked as if he had just witnessed the resurrection of Merlin, Morgana and the Founders.

"What about the fight?!"

Aquila gave an impish smile, "Maybe Bella forgot about it."

Regulus just gave up trying to understand his life.

When Halloween finally arrives, Regulus feels as though he's lost ten years of his life.

.

Their parents leave at two in the afternoon. There's a mad flurry of motion as Regulus and his siblings' stuff the necessary items they'd stashed around their rooms into a magically enchanted bag. Muggle money that they'd exchanged the last time they visited Diagon Alley, various Muggle tourist maps and a spare wand Aquila managed to smuggle out from Father's study in case they need to summon the Knight Bus for emergency transport.

Regulus decides not to ask her how she did that. Instead, he focuses on putting his costume. When he finishes, he stands in front of his mirror and stares at his reflection. He's wearing a white dress shirt and a black suit over it. Lensless glasses are perched on his nose and a golden pocket watch is tucked into his waistcoat. As Regulus puts on his final accessory on his head, he grins and dashes out of his room, long, white rabbit ears bouncing with his steps.

He's careful to avoid the portraits in the hall, ducking into rooms and corners, only moving when the portraits are distracted. It's not a hard thing to do, since many are absent from their frames, having gone visiting as well and most that remain are napping. He meets his siblings in the drawing room, and his grin widens as he takes in their own costume.

Sirius pulls his hat off with a flourish, grinning widely and giving a dramatic bow as Regulus enters, while Aquila goes into a curtsy, holding up her blue skirt and white apron. The three of them let out giggles, eyes shining in anticipation and Aquila motions them towards the window. Opening it, she explains, "I managed to lift wards around this balcony." Outside, the afternoon sun glares onto the empty pavement. It would be at least a few more hours before the streets began to fill with people going Trick-or-Treat.

Walking to a corner Aquila pushes a tapestry aside, revealing a small alcove and a bundle of rope. Regulus and Sirius stares as their sister ties one end on the railing of the balcony and throws the rest down.

Regulus trades a look with Sirius and it is his brother who breaks the brief silence. "Through the window? Down a rope ladder? _Really?_ "

Aquila shrugs in response, "I couldn't get the wards off the front door. Besides, it's just one story. And the rope's enchanted. It's quite safe."

Regulus forgoes asking how Aquila managed to route the wards to begin with in exchange for peering around her to look outside. They had never ventured into the Muggle world before. It would be the first time leaving wizarding premises and to do so made every part of Regulus both eager and full on terrified. The latter is definitely winning.

Seeing the excitement on his siblings' faces however, more so on Sirius than Aquila, dampens his fears and brings out his own. As Aquila hikes up her skirt and moves to climb over the balcony, she freezes and both Regulus and Sirius whip their heads around to see sunken eyes sending a piercing stare at them. Regulus feels a jolt of fear shoot through him, even as he regards Kreacher coolly.

Kreacher nods at them, "Is young masters and young mistress going somewhere?"

Beside him, Regulus feels Sirius shifting on his feet, even as he answers, "Yes." Regulus finds himself slightly impressed with how even Sirius' tone is. "We'll be away for a few hours."

The house elf gives all of them a weighted stare, and just as Regulus is certain that the Elf is going to send them back to their rooms, Kreacher nods again. "Very well. Young masters and young mistress be safe."

Next to him, Sirius' jaw unhinges a bit at his compliance, and so does Regulus'. Regulus isn't sure what Aquila's face shows, but it must've been amusing judging from the flash of humour that went off in the old Elf's eyes as Kreacher peers over Regulus' shoulder.

"You-You're letting us go?" Regulus can't help say in disbelief. To be truthful, Kreacher confronting them isn't at all surprising, and Regulus had been fully prepared to order him not to stop them or tell their parents, no matter how much he dislikes issuing such orders. For the usually stubborn elf to just give in… Flabbergasting. Absolutely flabbergasting. Regulus gives up understanding his life. Again.

Kreacher, oblivious to Regulus' internal crisis, merely bobs his head, "Young masters and young mistress wish to go out. Young masters and young mistress have made an effort to plan and stay safe. Young mistress has also made preparations for emergency transport. So Kreacher will let them go." Kreacher gave a toothy grin, "Kreacher will not mention this to Master and Mistress."

Regulus stares. Sirius stares. Regulus is pretty sure Aquila is staring as well. And Kreacher just stares back at them, looking greatly amused.

The silence is broken by Aquila, who, to Regulus' astonishment, sounds very off kilter, "Y-You knew what we were doing?"

Kreacher gives her a very pointed look, "Of course Kreacher knew. Kreacher is an Elf. Kreacher always knows what is happening in the House."

"Oh." For the first time Regulus can remember, Aquila looks very, very surprised. As if she was really the Alice who had just fallen into Wonderland, and not just dressing up as her.

(It's extremely weird and slightly distressing because Aquila is always composed.)

But Regulus can see that Kreacher letting them go is a good thing, and so he takes it in stride, like he does whenever odd things happen (which, given who his siblings are, is more often than not). Apparently, Sirius also thinks this way, since he grins at the Elf and, to Regulus' eternal shock, sticks out his hand to Kreacher. "Thank you, Kreacher," Sirius says, and there's no mistaking the sincerity in his voice. "We really appreciate it."

Kreacher gives him a long look before shaking his hand, "You're welcome, sir. Please stay safe."

"We will." It is Aquila who replies, giving the Elf a look that is half grateful, half something else. Regulus can't quite tell what. It looks like surprise, fear and… guilt, shockingly, rolled into one. Regulus wonders why she'd ever feel guilty but his gut tells him that if he asks, Aquila will clam up. So instead, he does what he always has; he pushes the question into the 'Aquila Shenanigans' box and focuses on the present.

With Sirius' and Kreacher's hands outstretched like they were, they almost looked as if they were equals. Regulus smiles.

"Let's go," Aquila calls out and pushes herself over the railing, deftly scaling down the rope ladder, dress fluttering in the afternoon breeze. Once her feet touch the pavement, she turns to stare back up at them, idly smoothing down her dress. "Show off," Sirius mutters, but there's a gleam in his eyes and he turns to Regulus

Regulus says his own thanks to Kreacher and follows his sister, awkwardly climbing over the railing with Sirius' help and down the ladder. It doesn't sway at all, nor does it feel like actual rope. Instead, it's as if his feet are standing on the steps of a staircase, and his hands are holding the railings. Still, Regulus feels relief wash through him when lands in his sister's arms and his feet touch solid ground. Aquila fusses over him for a moment before both turn to look at Sirius.

The last of the Black Trio peers down and scales the railing easily, careful not to let his pants or coat get caught on the metal and climbs down the ladder just as quickly. Within the minute he lands on the pavement. "That was fun and all, but was that really necessary?" Sirius asks, adjusting his top hat.

"Oh hush, Hatter, where's your sense of adventure?" Aquila rolls her eyes, "And I told you, I couldn't bypass the wards on the front door. Father and Mother would have been notified if we walked through that. Come on."

With the wards around Grimmauld Place, no one notices them climbing down, nor do they pay attention to their sudden appearance. The Black Trio walks down the pavement, and Regulus pulls his cloak slightly tighter around him as a chilly wind blows past them.

There were some other Muggles out, though none of them in costume yet, and Regulus blatantly stares at them. These Muggles… don't look that different from themselves. In fact, if Regulus ignored the clothes, they could have been wizards for all he knew. Although, he doubts their costumes will have anything on the ones Aquila had made and Regulus feels a spark of pride for his sister when several Muggle children turn to look at them and exclaim over how pretty or cool their costumes are. Regulus and Sirius preen at the praise, even Aquila smiles a bit more widely.

They don't go up to the other houses though. Not only is it far too early, collecting candy isn't their goal, seeing the sights is and after ten minutes of walking, they are far enough from Grimmauld Place to hail a cab. Regulus thinks he got over the novelty of seeing these 'vehicles' so closely fairly quickly, even though he knows he's staring at the yellow 'taxi' far longer than necessary. But Aquila is speaking to the cabbie, no doubt spinning some tale of meeting their parents in the city centre before they go for Trick-or-Treating, so Regulus doesn't really force himself to pay attention.

It's only when the cabbie grunts at them to enter that Regulus snaps to attention, and clambers into the taxi after his siblings.

"Where to kids?"

"The Tower of London," Sirius pipes up immediately, and as he starts to drive, the cabbie glances at them with a bit of concern, "Buckle up kids."

It takes them twenty minutes to get to their destination, but Regulus hardly minds, leaning close to the window and drinking in the sights of Muggle London. The tall buildings, the busy people, even the passing double decker busses. He distractedly notes that Sirius was doing the same, face pressing against the window on the other side. Even Aquila, who despite looking fairly amused at their antics, was being more attentive than usual, grey eyes flickering between the sights.

When they reach, Regulus feels his breath hitch slightly. Even from a distance, the Tower of London paints a majestic sight. He's dimly aware of Aquila tipping the cabbie generously and only starts to walk when Sirius nudges at him.

When he does start moving, Regulus ends up all but dragging his siblings towards the Tower.

.

They spend close to three hours in the Tower, far longer than planned, ignoring the odd looks they get for being in costume, and question their tour guide for every shred of information they can think of. The Yeoman Warder answers them jovially, and is even more amused when they don't run off screaming as he recites the cases of execution that occurred in the past in all their great, gory details. They get mildly annoyed grunts for holding up the queue when they see the Crown Jewels and spend nearly an hour searching for all the ravens that live in the Tower. Finally, when five-thirty rolls about, Regulus and Sirius have to be all but dragged out of the area by their sister, much to the amusement of the adults and staff around them.

Aquila then proceeds to drag them to Buckingham Palace, navigating the London Underground with uncanny ease. Their clothes drew even more odd looks in the train, but between Sirius babbling about the various facts regarding Buckingham Palace and Aquila complaining that they missed the last entry timing, Regulus hardly notices the looks.

When they do eventually reach Buckingham Palace, it had indeed passed visiting hours, much to Sirius' and Regulus' disappointment. Aquila merely sighs, blearily informing them that most of the attractions would probably closed for the day as well, which makes the trio even more disheartened.

Not that it keeps them down for long.

Sirius proceeds to drag them around the city, and Regulus takes in the sights, marvelling at how Muggles had flourished even without magic. They stop for dinner at a small restaurant, and it takes Sirius using all of his charisma and Aquila playing up her cute factor to charm the waitress into letting them dine there. Regulus whispers womanizer under his breath and snickers at the annoyed look Sirius throws at him.

It takes them barely half an hour to finish dinner and they spend the next few hours wandering aimlessly, going from shop to shop without losing each other, occasionally using the Light Scripture embroidered on Sirius' sleeve to read their maps. As the night wore on, their costumes garners less and less questioning looks as the streets began to fill with other children in similar get up. They continue their exploration until they arrive on Westminster Bridge and Big Ben chimes ten times.

"I think it's time we head back," Aquila muses and Regulus nods, suddenly feeling lethargic. Sirius voices his agreement as well and digs through the bag for the wand. Sticking it into the air, barely a moment passes when the Knight Bus arrives in front of them, with a literal bang.

Aquila rattles off their address and pays the conductor, before all three of them clamber onto a bed. The bus bursts into motion and it's all the three of them can do to hold onto the bedposts and each other for dear life. A few minutes pass, though it feels like an eternity to Regulus, and he looks out of the widow, seeing the colours of the city lights blur pass them and his reflection's pale face. He glances at his siblings and would have laughed at how uncomfortable they look if he isn't in the same predicament. Instead, he clutches at the sheets and feverishly hopes that the ride would be over soon.

.

When they do eventually stumble off the Knight Bus, Regulus nearly face faults onto the pavement. His siblings aren't much better.

"Next time, we summon Kreacher."

"Agreed."

They stagger to the front porch and although it takes them nearly fifteen minutes to get their bearings well enough to climb the ladder again, no other complications arises.

As Aquila pulls up the ladder, Kreacher appears in the room with three mugs of hot chocolate and ushers them towards their baths.

And Regulus laughs, because this is the most fun he's ever had.

To think, all this started because he started talking about _Alice in Wonderland_.

* * *

 **A/N: This was meant to be happy and light hearted. And then Regulus happened. So some angst before we get to the happy parts. Whoops.**

 **This takes part sometime between Chapters 12 and 13 (which is in the works).**

 **Yes, Aquila (eight at the moment; her birthday's in November) got into a catfight with seventeen year old Bellatrix. And won. Partly because Aquila is not above fighting dirty. Partly because Bellatrix is not suicidal enough to curse her younger cousin in her own house. (And comedy!)**

 **I wonder if you guys caught the off-camera mentions of Mipsy? And Kreacher was so fun to write ;)**

 **Thoughts on this?**


	3. Fireheart

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Harry Potter**_ **. This work is merely for leisure and not for any profit whatsoever.**

 **Summary:** Seldom are things always as they seem. Ideas and spin-offs from the Stars in the Silence timeline. Part 3: Mother's Day Special. Her mind is silent for once. It hasn't been for several months now, and it's only now that Walburga has the slightest inkling of regret for her actions.

* * *

 _ **Secrets of the Stars**_

 _Fireheart_

.

Her mind is silent for once.

It hasn't been for several months now, and it's only now that Walburga has the slightest inkling of regret for her actions.

Not a lot, because this was for the good of her House, and also for her daughter.

Aquila will understand once she's older, and once she's in Hogwarts, Walburga's certain that her worries will be put to rest.

 _ **Are you certain?**_

If there's the slightest of pause in her walk, no one but Walburga herself knows about it. After all, for all Diagon Alley is packed with the pre-Yuletide crowd, Walburga is a Black.

Even if the crowd has parted to let her walk through - _As they should,_ Walburga thinks - and even as she catches the eye of everyone close to her person, it's not good enough an advantage to let them see her brief moment of weakness.

 _ **Are you certain?**_

The voice taunts her again, and Walburga regrets just a bit more that she hadn't been as careful as she could have been when using the Old Family Magicks.

Oh, she had been well aware of the potential backlash of using the Family Magicks, particularly when invoking the Oldest Spells, but she had taken the risk.

 _For better or for worst,_ Walburga decides as she continues walking forwards, uncaring of the smokeless flame circling her person. It's a new addition to the voice, and slightly more distracting because Walburga can block out the voice with Occlumency for brief periods of time, but her eyes still occasionally stray towards the flame, despite her best efforts not to.

(She does not linger on the after-effects of blocking out the voice. Of splitting headaches and piercing words. This is for the good of her House. For the good of her family.

Walburga has endured much pain before, this is nothing new.

She does not linger. Much.)

 _Aim_ _Inqirāḍ Shaṭr_ had taken more from her than she had thought it would, but the Spell had been successful.

She senses more than she hears Sirius turn to pull her youngest out of the way of a harried wizard, his aura spiking in agitation as he turns to glare at the offender, even as the hand holding her youngest up remains gentle, and slows her steps just slightly. Not enough to break the flow of traffic around her, but just enough to allow her children time to fall into place behind her as she enters Ollivanders.

While she is slightly annoyed at the delay, she doesn't blame them for being waylaid by human traffic. Her children haven't mastered Aura Projection, one of the lesser known but relatively safe Family Magicks, and they won't be able to for at least half a decade more, until their cores are strong enough to bear the taxing demands of such Spells.

Sirius had been lucky that _Ruqī Shallāl_ had been one of the newer Spells created and thus hadn't required anything other than Magic in exchange.

Or perhaps it wasn't luck that allowed her Heir to access the Family Magicks at such a young age.

(And to successfully cast a Composite Spell merging opposing elements of water and fire - if it had been any other circumstance, she would have been proud of Sirius.

But his actions had been both reckless and damaging to the House's reputation, so of course there had to be consequences - how else was he to learn?

And then Aquila had stepped in.)

Either way, his actions, despite having created no end of trouble for Walburga, had all but cemented his position as Heir Black, regardless of his young age.

And Walburga isn't the only one to realise this, even if her own children remain unaware of the magnitude of Sirius' actions.

It's likely the reason why her eldest niece is trying to vie for the spot of the First Daughter.

By blood, Aquila has that right, but the title of First Daughter of the House could be contested and won through age, magic or, what her niece is aiming for, allegiance.

Perhaps, if she were younger Walburga would have been slightly impressed by her niece's tactics, if they could be called that. But for all her magical prowess, Bellatrix's attempts at politics are mediocre at best.

Oh, it would be enough for the Halfbloods and Mudbloods, but Pureblood politics? _Black_ politics? Those were a completely different matter.

Currently, her niece is nothing more than a shark in a sea of leviathans, and if she thinks she can take Aquila's, Walburga's daughter's, bloodright from her… Well. Walburga will show her the extent of her reach.

Rough tides often hid even more devastating undercurrents. Walburga will help set the stage for Bellatrix's eventual fall, but she'll leave the strings and script to Aquila.

And her daughter _will_ deliver.

 _ **Are you certain? You sensed it, didn't you? When your flame branded her skin and felt her core. You sensed that wrongness in her, don't try to deny it.**_

 _The Spell was successful. It has been dealt with,_ Walburga snipes back, diving deep into the inferno that is her Occulmency barriers and stands proud against Ollivander's probing eyes.

The man will burn if he dares enter her mind, Walburga decides as she locks her gaze with his.

The smokeless flame comes to rest in between them, grinning despite the shackles draping its feline appearance.

The Spell was successful; there is nothing wrong with her daughter, she tells herself staring at the glowing seal on the chains. Walburga has made sure of it. And that is all that matters.

.

 _ **You ask for much with such a sacrifice, even with blood fairly given from both parties, it is not enough.**_

 _Then take what is lacking from me, and fulfill your contract._

 _ **Are you certain?**_

 _Of course. Who do you take me for?_

* * *

 **A/N: Short Mother's Day special, focusing on everyone's favourite Mother-of-the-Year Walburga Black *coughnotcough*.**

 **Also,** ** _this is canon-compliant to Stars_** **and is Walburga's POV during the first scene in chapter 15** **.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please feel free to share your opinions and also what you'd like to see next :3**

 **Happy Mother's Day everybody!**


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